Military summit in the Finnish forests – also important for Norway – NRK Urix – Foreign news and documentaries

Very little leaked from the six-hour meeting at Koningstedt Manor in Vantaa, north of the Finnish capital Helsinki.

The Finnish newspaper reported that the meeting was kept very secret until it ended for security reasons Helsingin Sanomat newspaper.

But the photos posted on social media tell us about large-sized delegations from the army of the two countries, led by the Chief of Defense Mark Milley and the Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov.

The Finnish armed forces were responsible for the practical aspects of the meeting, and the generals also held their own meetings with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö.

The meeting may be a direct follow-up to talks between Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin in Geneva in June.

There was a lot of disagreement, but it was agreed to intensify cooperation in areas that are in the interest of both countries.

From a Norwegian perspective, as a country neighboring Russia and with a growing US military presence in the Far North, what happened in Finland yesterday was also significant.

fight terrorism

However, perhaps most important is the fight against international terrorism, which has hit the United States and Russia hard in the past twenty years.

Suffice it to mention the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 against the United States, and the attack on a school in Beslan in southern Russia in September 2004.

According to the newspaper The Wall Street Journal The fight against terrorism was one of the most important topics covered by the meeting in Finland.

The sudden rapid Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, followed by a chaotic march on the United States and its allies, created a new security situation in Central Asia.

This is an area that has been the epicenter of many terrorist attacks the world has witnessed.

Ferghana Valley in Central Asia – a hotbed of terrorism?

The United States wants a military presence in Central Asia

The United States now wants to consider the possibility of cooperating with Russia to prevent Afghanistan from being used again as a base for terrorist attacks.

This is equally in Russia’s interest. The state still defines the Taliban as a terrorist organization, although the state has said it is ready to cooperate with the new rulers in Kabul.

According to unconfirmed sources, the United States wants the military bases in Central Asia to be able to monitor the situation in Afghanistan, and possibly strike if it turns out that terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS are strengthening their position in the war-torn country.

The US authorities have already been in contact with Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to see if the bases in these countries can be used to monitor the situation in Afghanistan.

The joy of damage in Moscow — but the Taliban could be a throwback to Russia

Moscow terms

But today this is not possible without the consent of Moscow, which already has rules and agreements with many former Soviet republics in this area.

The question is what would Russia demand in order to allow the United States into this region.

Relations between the two countries are the worst since the Cold War, not least because of Russia’s intervention in Ukraine, with the 2014 annexation of Crimea and support for pro-Russian separatists in the Donbass.

The fact that the United States has now taken the initiative to hold such a meeting is a feather in the roof of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his closest arms bearer, General Valery Gerasimov.

Gerasimov on the EU sanctions list

For Putin, it was always important to be taken seriously, and now it is clear that Americans take him seriously.

It is also interesting that Gerasimov, who after the intervention in Ukraine was included in the list of people with whom the European Union refuses entry, was allowed to come to Finland to meet with his American counterpart.

According to Helsingin Sanomat, the Finnish Foreign Minister, Pekka Haavisto, said that such a meeting was so important that it was right to make an exception to the entry ban.

dangerous accidents

According to several sources, “Dealing with dangerous accidents” was also an important topic at a meeting in Finland on Wednesday.

It may relate to places where the military from the United States and NATO are in close contact with Russian defense.

This is why the Biden-Putin summit is so important to Norway

It often happens off the coast of Norway, where Russian planes and boats bring frequent guests.

This is also true of the Baltic Sea region, where the Russian Kaliningrad Klav is a nuisance of security policy.

As recently as this week, two Russian TU-160 strategic bombers flew in this area, followed consistently by fighter jets from Denmark, Sweden and Finland, according to the Russian Defense.